BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 14, 2026)--Morgan State women's basketball senior
Mihjae Hayes recently chatted with Luke Jackson of PressBox about starting her career at the Division II level, how the Bears can bounce back from a tough season and more. The 5-foot-4 guard averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 assists per game for Morgan in 2025-26. Hayes is a native of Philadelphia and graduate of Saints Neumann Goretti High School. Click
here for online edition.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Mihjae Hayes: My dad, [Juan], had a recreational team called RJ Trailblazers. It was an all-boys team. I would just most of the time go to his games and be on the bench while he was coaching. Eventually, I started outside my back yard on a court, and then I ended up playing for my dad's basketball team with all boys. That's how I started.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
MH: I would say professional-wise I really liked to watch Allen Iverson a lot and Kyrie Irving. I watched Allen Iverson highlights. I didn't watch him when he played. Kyrie Irving, I watched him in real time. I've been wearing No. 3 my whole career because of Allen Iverson.
PB: Why did you choose to start your college career at Division II Virginia State?
MH: I started at Virginia State because honestly when I was coming out of high school, I didn't have a lot of offers, just a lot of interest. I was talking to a lot of different schools, but nobody actually offered me besides Millersville University. During my recruitment process coming out of high school,
Nadine Domond was calling me. She was still at Rutgers during this time. I kept telling her as it got closer to commitment day, I still don't have anywhere I feel like I fit and I really want to go. She kept telling me, "I'm going to make sure you're good, I'm going to make sure you're good." And then she got the head coaching job at Virginia State. She called me and told me, "I want you to be my point guard." I already knew I was going to go because I wanted to go to an HBCU. I didn't want to be too far from Philly. Virginia State was about five hours. I like my parents and [siblings] to be able to come to my games. I knew I could work my way up, so starting at the Division II level wasn't something bad to me.
PB: Why did you choose to transfer to Morgan State?
MH: I was at Virginia State for three years. I had a lot of winning seasons there. … My last year there, we went to the [CIAA Tournament championship and NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament]. I feel like I had done a lot there [and] had made my name there, so I wanted to go D-I. I knew I was capable. I was like, "I've been D-II for a little bit. I want to go D-I, possibly make some more money" — still while staying close to home and still while being in an HBCU. When I entered the transfer portal,
Nadine Domond was also leaving. Two weeks after I entered the transfer portal, she got the head coaching job at Morgan. She called me again and was like, "Come play for me at Morgan." I always want to be close to home. This is only an hour and 40 minutes from my home now, it's still an HBCU and I'm making more money here [through cost of attendance, revenue share and any NIL deals]. That's why I chose Morgan.
PB: Why was it important for you to follow Domond to Morgan?
MH: I think it was important because she trusted in me. Coming out of high school, obviously a lot of people didn't believe in me and I was coming in as an underdog. Throughout my whole process, she always told me how good I was and that no matter what, she was going to make sure I was good. I really appreciated that. The transfer portal is a scary place sometimes. You know what you're getting, but you don't really know what you're getting all the time. I feel like coming with a coach who I already knew what I was getting out of her, I knew that I would have the keys with her. I already knew that I fit her system. I knew that she was going to run her system through me. My family's actually real tied in to her. She just supports me and helps me do everything. I feel like you're never going to like everything the coach does — there are always going to be things you don't like — but I feel like we've built a bond outside of basketball. That's why I chose to stick with her. When she called me, it was an automatic yes, I'm coming with you.
PB: What steps does your team have to take to bounce back from last year's 5-26 season?
MH: I think we have already taken steps over the summertime. Playing pickup in the summertime and finding chemistry and gelling with your teammates is really, really important. I feel like we've been doing a good job with that over the summer. This year we have a younger group coming in. Nadine has brought in her recruits instead of having to deal with players that were already here before she got here. She was able to bring people in. They listened more. They were just willing to buy into the system and not be complaining, asking too many questions. Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? And then I think we've just got to stick together. I feel like oftentimes everything starts off good with teams, especially girls' teams. Women just are a lot in general. So I think being able to stay together, stick with each other, push through adversity. Even if you have an issue, never [take] it to the court, just keep the main thing the main thing. We have a lot of people who can do different things, play different positions, so I think that'll help. And we're getting more in shape. We had a lot of distractions last year, outside things. I think this year it's just different. I think those are the major differences this year. And also the people that we recruited came from winning programs, so they know what it looks like to win. They've won before, so they know what it takes.
PB: What's your favorite thing about Morgan?
MH: Of course the social life and the events that they have here — Homecoming Week, I Love Morgan Week. And I would say the staff. I've built so many good relationships. I feel like my aunties and uncles are here — family away from home. You can build a family at Morgan, and it feel like it's a lifelong thing.
PB: Who's your best friend on the team and what's a story that underscores your friendship?
MH: There are three people that I really gel with a lot. Dakota [Alston] is one of them. I call her my sister. She's been here at Morgan for four years straight — laid-back, real genuine. She helps me stay sane, honestly. She's very calm. I feel like she can bring me down when I get too high or if I'm too low, she can bring me up. I appreciate that.
Mercy Lasu and
Dru Carlton, they're both new this year. Mercy is an upperclassman like me. She's from Toronto, Canada. We became sisters quick. She's willing to do whatever it takes for our team to win. We have a good [connection] off the court. Dru is a freshman. She came from a winning program, one of the top girls coming up in basketball right now. She's just a leader. I really respect how she came in leading as a freshman. She's not afraid to use her voice. I have my own little sister back home, so she's like my little sister here at school.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players who are looking into the Division II route?
MH: I would say it's never about where you start, it's about where you finish and create a name for yourself. I feel like some people might go, "Oh my god, it's just D-II, I want D-I." But it's really not that. It's very competitive. I feel like it's a lot of fun. I had a ball. I had so much fun. To be real, our locker room at Virginia State, our resources were way better than what we have here at Morgan if I'm being honest. Don't underestimate a D-II. Even if you start at a D-II … create your name and make everybody pay for overlooking you or however you feel. Play with a chip on your shoulder every day and don't take any days for granted. Treat every day like it's your last.
PB: What are your plans for after basketball, whenever it ends?
MH: After basketball ends, I want to be around basketball. I want to be a sports reporter, interviewing people after games, and also get into real estate. My dad's a construction worker, so I'm thinking about buying houses that … my dad will fix up and then we'll get them rented out.
